What Devonta Freeman's deal means for him, Falcons

Devonta Freeman today agreed to a five-year, $41.25 million extension to remain with the Atlanta Falcons through the 2022 season. This makes him the highest-paid running back in the NFL — for now.

Freeman now has enough money to set him up for life and he should have no problem finishing out the entire contract. The new money essentially means he has a six-year, $43.17 million deal due to his signing bonuses and compensation for the one year remaining on his rookie deal.

By extending Freeman, as opposed to waiting to pay him after the season, the Falcons are paying him an average of $7.2 million as opposed to the $8.25 million being reported.

LeSean McCoy signed a five-year, $40 million deal in 2015 with the Bills, and last offseason Doug Martin and Chris Ivory signed five-year deals worth $35.75 and $32 million, respectively. So, Freeman is seeing money that hasn’t been handed out to even great running backs in a long time.

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The only guys who should get more money than Freeman in the near future are David Johnson of the Cardinals and Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Freeman’s contract keeps him in Atlanta until age 29 and allows the Falcons to build around one of the top running backs in the NFL. He has put up at least 1,000 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving both of the past two years and has been elected to the Pro Bowl in each.

Atlanta hasn’t had his type of talent at running back since Michael Turner in his prime. Paying him this much to spend his prime years in Atlanta says a lot about how the team views one of the best running backs in the league.